Chicago Fire

The Chicago Fire (0-2-1) have been ravaged by injuries and appeared on the verge of losing for a third straight time to start the season, but Brandon Vincent struck for a massive equalizer six minutes from full time in a 2-2 draw with the Portland Timbers.

“When you’re twice down and you get the draw, it’s ok, but I’m not a friend of playing for a draw or something,” Bastian Schweinsteiger said after the match. “I want to win. I think we should win these kind of games, but we’re not there to win these kind of games and that’s why we have a lot of work to do.”

Notes: Since the start of last season, Nemanja Nikolic has an expected goals rate (ex. penalties) of 20.9. Bradley Wright-Phillips is the next closest player (17.1). … The Fire have scored in 34 consecutive home league games, and have won 12 of their 19 home league games since the start of 2017 (3L-4D).

Columbus Crew SC

Gyasi Zardes continued his fine form to start the season with his fourth goal in five games to put Crew SC (3-1-1) in front just before the half-hour mark, but Brek Shea and former Columbus forward Kei Kamara struck for second-half goals to lift the Whitecaps to a 2-1 victory and hand Crew SC their first defeat of the year.

The pace of play was something Columbus coach Gregg Berhalter found tough to swallow.

“i think this is a good wakeup call for us,” Berhalter said after the game. “Give Vancouver a lot of credit, they had a clear gameplan, they stuck with it and they executed it. But for us, I don’t think we can play at 60 percent of our highest level and win games in this league.”

Notes: Federico Higuaín has created 16 chances this season for Crew SC, twice as many as the next closest teammate. … Columbus is unbeaten in their last six league road games (2W-4D), their longest such streak since a nine-game streak from July 7–October 16, 2004 (2W-7D).